India's batting will rely heavily on openers Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to provide a strong start in their crucial Super 8 clash against Afghanistan on Thursday. After dominating Group A in the USA, the team has arrived in Barbados for the knockout stages.
Cricket legend Brian Lara has high expectations for the opening duo. He believes either Rohit or Kohli can play a stabilizing role and build a solid foundation on Caribbean pitches. However, their performances so far in the tournament have been a mixed bag. In the first match against Ireland, their opening partnership only managed 7 runs. While Rohit went on to score a half-century, Kohli was dismissed cheaply for 1. Similarly, against Pakistan, Kohli was dismissed for just 4 runs.
The pressure is on for both openers to find their form and give India the advantage they need against Afghanistan.
Rohit's struggles continued against Pakistan, managing only 13 runs. The woes deepened in the final Group A match versus USA. Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck by Saurabh Netravalkar, and Rohit fell for just 3 runs off 6 balls.
Despite their recent slump, batting great Brian Lara, speaking to Star Sports before India's clash with Afghanistan, highlighted that both Kohli and Rohit are naturally aggressive batsmen.
“I think there is all sorts of possibilities. They are two very aggressive players. They're two world-class players. But sometimes, in terms of putting together a partnership in the Caribbean, you think well, you know 60-70 runs in the powerplay would be a great start. I think one could afford to drop anchor, but it all depends, you know, on match-ups. If you feel that, as a batter, that you are better equipped than the other player to do well against a bowler, then you do that. So I think it's a conversation that has to happen in the middle, and it doesn't necessarily mean that they have to go from both ends,” Lara told Sports Star.
Cricket legend Brian Lara sees a hot Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as India's trump card on Caribbean pitches. He emphasizes the importance of maintaining their winning streak in the Super 8 stage, where India hasn't dropped a game yet. However, Lara cautions against reckless aggression from the opening duo. He advises them to find a balance and avoid throwing away their wickets early in the innings.
“But you know, I think psychologically they would know how important both of these players coming into form quickly is for that. So, there are different ways of going about it. I don't feel blasting away in the Caribbean is one of the things you know. You just need to think about what you're doing and put a good partnership on because you know more often than not when you're playing Afghanistan than you're thinking, When are the spinners coming? Then the contest begins,” Lara added.
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